One consideration in successfully selling a product is to make the product for sale look appealing to and catch the attention of potential retail purchasers. One way to accomplish this is to use colors, shapes, unusual package designs, and lighting. For example, certain products have been sold in packaging that has a blinking light disposed on the outside of the package or on the outside of the product display, which may include the shelving on which the product is positioned.
It is also desirable to differentiate a particular product for sale from other products for sale. This has traditionally been done by marking the outside of the package with identifying information such as a trademark and description of the product. As designers of product packages become more creative, it has become increasingly challenging to distinguish a product from other products, to draw shopper attention.
The retail or wholesale store or other display site for products has traditionally provided the lighting that illuminates products on display. This leaves the provider of products without direct control of the light that falls on its products. The light may consistently be insufficient to make what the product provider considers to be an optimal visual impression. Or the lighting may vary based on where the products are displayed. Some display locations may provide illumination that is favorable to a product, whether that light is natural or artificial, while other display locations may have unfavorable light for product display. Seldom will a product provider be able to cause a display location to provide or provide consistently the lighting desired for the product. In addition, lighting will seldom be arranged to make a product provider's specific product stand out from others or to emphasize a specific product feature.
What is needed in the art is improved packaging using illumination for increased visual appeal and that allows the product provider to control at least aspects of the product illumination and to produce lighting effects specific to the product provider's products.